The second seal
by Rorac The Dragon Knight
Summary: The night the fox was sealed Naruto wasn't the only one given a burden. see his life if he was not so alone. AU Naruto x Ino eventually. First fic
1. Chapter 0: The Sealing

The Second Seal

**The Second Seal**

**By Rorac the Dragon Knight**

Disclaimer: I don't own naruto now and will most likely never will….fuck

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

"**Jutsu or demon speaking"**

A blond man in a long white coat looks out over the home that he loved, but did not feel the joy that you would expect. Instead he feels a great sadness and pain. Tonight he does not see the village in its usual splendor, it lays before him in ruin.

Earlier in the day the Nine Tailed Fox appeared and attacked the village. For hours on end the ninja of the village had been fighting against impossible odds, many dying in the face of terrible power, to give their leader the time he needed to defeat the beast. The fourth Hokage of the Leaf Village had a plan that could save what was left of his village and his people. In exchange he would force two innocents to bear a terrible burden at the cost of his soul. The two children would imprisonthe foulest and most powerful demon in creation.

_'Its times like these that I wonder why I wanted this job so much'_ he thought as he readied himself for what he must do. In his arms he held two children newborns. In his right arm he held his son, Naruto, less then an hour, _'He looks so much like me.'_ This thought brings a brief smile to his face until the second child in his arms began to cry. The little girl he held was a two week old beautiful, and, unfortunately, very loud baby girl. Ino was the daughter of one of his closest friends Inochi Yamanaka. She would be forced to share in the burden that was about to be place on his son because she was the only child, in addition to Naruto, young enough to survive the sealing.

'_I'm so sorry that that you'll have to be burdened by this as well.'_ Looking at the child of one of his best friends he could feel nothing but shame at the fact that he had to ask someone else to surrender their child to they fate that these two were about to receive. Sighing dejectedly he placed the two of them side by side on an alter he had prepared for this ritual. He then drew seals on the two of the so that he could proceed with his task. Naruto slept soundly the whole time, but Ino had to be soothed by her mother Yuhari.

Yuhari looks up from her daughter and asks the fourth in a desperate voice, "Minato, do you have to do this? Does it have to be my baby girl!?" Minato looks at her sadly and says in a depressed voice, "Yuhari if there was any other way, do you think that I would have ask to use your daughter for this? No, I would never ask this unless there was no other way. If I could I would seal it in my son alone and not cause you this hurt. The only reason I have for this that if I sealed it in just my son the fox would eventually destroy the seal and continue what it started. This way the beast will never have a chance to escape, and we won't have to worry."

Yuhari looked into the eyes of her friend looking to see if there was anything that he was hiding, anything at all that he was keeping from her. She looked and saw nothing that she was looking for. All she saw was a man that was going to his end and had nothing to hide anymore. After this she cried silently and said to him in a shaky voice, "Alright but promise me that nothing bad will happen to her." He smiled at her and said in a soft voice that held astounding strength and conviction, "I promise you that she will be just fine, but could you do me one favor please?"

"Of course."

"Could you look in on Naruto from time to time to make sure he's okay? After the sealing he'll have no one to look after him he'll be an orphan"

Yuhari looked shocked at what he was asking. He actually trusted her with the well being of his only son. She looked at him with a teary smile and said, "I would be more then glad to look out for such a sweet child, and I'm honored that you would trust me to watch out for him."

He thanked her, got up, and started to head toward the battlefield to lay down his life for his people. Only one thing delayed him and that was his predecessor, Sarutobi. The old man looked at him mournfully, and asked him in a voice that made him seem hundreds of years old, "Minato let me do this for you. You have a son that needs you and the people will need you after this is all over. I'm an old man, they will not need me as much as they will you."

Minato gave a sad smile as he sighed, "Old man, I wish I could, but if we want to make sure this works I have to be the one that does this. You just don't have the charka reserves. Besides, I am the Hokage now, not you. It's my job to make sure the will of fire lives on and has a chance to prosper once more."

Sarutobi looked at him and then stepped aside. He saw that there was no way to deter the man that had taken his job. He sighed tiredly all the while thinking, _'I hope that we both made the right choice tonight'_

Before he left Minato gave Sarutobi a scroll and said "This is for Naruto and Ino. Give it to them when the time is right."

Minato raced to the field and summoned his friend Gamabunta the toad boss. He said in a voice that was filled with more fire and spirit then any legion of men could hope to have, " 'bunta this will be my last battle and I want to make sure I go out with a bang!"

The huge toad looked at his summoner and smiled ready to assist his friend in a crazy, stupid, and down right unthinkable course of action. "Fine, give you one big bang. So…. what do you need me to do?" "I need you to distract the fox while I ready the jutsu, and then, when I say to get as close to him as you can."

Drawing his sword the toad attacked and got the fox's attention. Once he had it he focused more on keeping both himself and his passenger alive. When Minato finished his seals, he yelled at Gamabunta to grab a' hold of the demon. The toad held on tightly to the fox as he could, in the process receiving a scar that would mark him the rest of his life.

With this done Minato activated his technique, yelling out, "**Dual Seals Style: Reaper Death Seal."**

this is my first fic so some **_helpful _**criticism would be much appreciated please read and reveiw


	2. Chapter 1: The Council

The Second Seal

**The Second Seal**

**By Rorac the Dragon Knight**

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Jutsu or demon speaking"**

Chapter 1: The council

As the newly reinstated third Hokage looked around the council chamber he began to wonder, for the first time, what it was that his successor wanted to save. Surely it wasn't all of the soulless creatures that were even now calling for the death of a newborn.

"We can not allow the demon to grow and regain his strength. He'll just go and try to kill us all over again," declared the cold, hateful head of the Uchiha clan.

"While I must disagree about the boy being a demon, I do agree that something should be done to assure that safety of the village," Said Hiashi the head of the Hyugga clan. "It is common knowledge that demon containers are known to be mentally unstable, and with the power that they have the may very well kill all those around them."

The head of the Aburame clan Shibi stood and said in a calm logical voice "How many of those vessels were ever treated as more than the dirt under foot. It is those around them that make them unstable for they are not considered people any more, but as the demon that they have locked within them."

The heads of the Nara and Akamichi clans then stood and said "Che, this is a pain, but I have to agree with Shibi on this. We control how he will turn out until he's old enough to make his own decisions."

"Shikaku's right. If we treat him as a burden or a monster, then of course he will come to hate us all one day. And we'll deserve it too, because we brought it on ourselves."

The pink hair matron or the Haruno clan piped up and yelled "What about your children Chozu? Will you let chance decide whether or not they live or die based on the temper of one boy?"

"I fail to see the point in this discussion. Instead of thinking as though he will be a citizen of the village he should be taken and trained in seclusion to be a weapon. We should make him into the sword of the village so that we can destroy all who oppose us."

"ENOUGH"

That one word from the third fire shadow was all that was needed to bring silence to the room. The fire that was smoldering behind the old man's eyes was enough to give even the boldest and most outspoken of them to pause.

"This discussion is at an end. I am the leader of this village and I have made my decision on the fate of this boy. He will not be killed for he is a child and only a child. One so young could never do anything that would demand their death. He will also not be turned into a weapon Danzo. He is one of the people in this village that the fourth died to protect and I will not let you turn him into some soulless tool. If he becomes a ninja then he will protect us like every other ninja in the village. It was the fourth's wish that he would be a hero for protecting us from the Fox's wrath, but now I can see that it will not happen. Because of this the events of the sealing and Naruto's involvement in it will become an S-Class secret and will not be of to those who do not already know. That is my decision and those who disobey this law will be executed."

The third was later found in his office staring out over the village. "I can't believe that it's come to this. Instead of being seen as the hero he should be, he is seen as a monster." Sarutobi then rubbed his eyes feeling every year of his age and more.

"They're all hurting right now Lord Hokage. Give them the time they need for the pain to fade and they may yet see him as a hero."

The third then looked over to where an ANBU in a dog mask was watching over a peacefully sleeping Naruto. This made the old man smile for the first time in what seemed like weeks. Here was one person who had looked past the pain that they were in to see not a monster but a boy who had been given an enormous burden that would be with him for the rest of his days.

"Kakashi, you don't know how much good it does me to hear you say that. With people like you here in the village it gives me great hope for the future. Your Sensei would be proud."

Just as Kakashi was about to reply a knock at the door was heard.

The Thirds secretary appeared at the door,"Lord Hokage, Inochi Yamanaka is here along with his wife and child. They say that they need to speak with you in private urgently."

"Let them in, I have been expecting them. Kakashi, please, wait outside."

At that moment The Yamanaka's came in. When they saw that Naruto was in the Hokage's office they could not help but stare for a moment. This put Kakashi on edge. He then placed himself between the Yamanaka's and Naruto. He then said in a low tone, "Maybe I should stay here just incase or a take Naruto with me."

The Third smiled at that and said in an amused voice, "Thank you, but that will not be necessary. I can assure you that the Yamanakas are not a threat to the boy. Besides, don't you think that I could handle them if it came to that?"

Kakashi then scratched his head in embarrassment and left in a puff of smoke. This left the four blonds and one old man alone in said old man's office.

Inochi looked at his leader and smiled happy that someone accepted the boy and his burden. His face then turned into a frown as he thought of something.

"He doesn't know whose son Naruto is does he."

The third sighed, "Sadly, no, he doesn't. I intend to keep it that way so that Naruto will grow up as normally and unspoiled as possible. If he knew he would spoil Naruto to no end and we all know Minato wouldn't want that."

Yuhari smiled at that thinking how Minato would want his son to learn to work for the things that he received, and not think he was entitled to them like so many clans did.

"Your right, he wouldn't. But enough of that lets get down to the reason we came here."

Sarutobi Smiled, "Of course, I had been expecting you for some time, but I can't quite fathom the reason for this visit."

Inochi looked at his wife then back at the third and sighed. "Well, the main reason is that you didn't say anything about Ino to the council. I want to thank you for that, but I would also like to know why."

"Because Minato asked me to in the will he left me. It said that if the council reacted the way they did, he did not want me to leave Ino open to the kind of scorn and fear that Naruto would receive."

Inochi smiled, "He was always looking out for everyone else, but I guess that's why he was chosen for Hokage."

"Yes, yes it was. Anyway what was the other reason you came to see me?

Inochi looked troubled, "Well, it's about the two of them when do we tell them about each other?"

"Minato left me instructions on that as well. They will be told when the time is right. I can't tell you when we can inform them of the situation, but I need you to tell me if anything happens to Ino as she grows."

"I will but I wonder wha…," Inochi didn't get to finish his sentence because at that moment he heard his wife's cry of surprise.

The two men rushed over to her to see what was wrong. As they had been talking she had wandered over to Naruto's cradle to look at the boy. He was fast asleep and seemed so peaceful. When she laid Ino next to Naruto the two of them woke up at the same time. This didn't really surprise her. What did was when they looked at each other almost in sync and their eyes flashed purple for a moment before they returned to normal and they stared making happy noises at each other.

The third was floored by this turn of events it seemed that the sealing and the fox had forged a bond of sort between the two of them almost as if they were twins.

Inochi turned to the third and said "This is the kind of thing you want me to tell you about right?"

The third nodded and said, "If anything else like this, or something else entirely, happens let me know."

The Yamanakas nodded. They then made small talk until the children fell asleep. At that point they retrieved Ino and made their way home.

The third was looking at the boy in the cradle and couldn't help but think, _'It seems you wont be so alone child. I am glad you will have at least one friend, I fear you will need it in the days to come.'_

--  
sorry about the two alerts I uploaded before i had my "editor" look at this chapter so I needed to fix it. any who this chapter came out really fast but don't expect it my life off line could get in the way. I will try to update fairly regularly. read and reveiw


	3. Chapter 2:The village

The Second Seal

**The Second Seal**

**By Rorac the Dragon Knight**

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Jutsu or demon speaking"**

Chapter 2: The Village

The Village Hidden in the Leaves made great strides since the Fox attacked. In the three years that passed much of the damage to property and homes had been repaired. Only those who knew what was different could point out the things that were missing or still needed to be fixed. The village was finally starting to get back to normal, but the village, as a people, was far from the people that they once were. The most dramatic example was the hatred and scorn that was held for a young boy by a large number of the population.

"You worthless brat, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY STORE BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT."

In the market a young boy was about to get thrown out of a candy store. The boy Naruto wondered why this was happening and what he had done to make the man so mad. His day had started out great when he had gotten a visit at the Orphanage. It turned out to be his two favorite people in the world, 'the old man in the funny robe', and 'the nice pretty lady with blonde hair.' The third and the Yamanaka Matriarch had taken to visiting Naruto whenever they had the time. They had decided that they would take Naruto out to see more of the village.

They had been showing him around when something had caught his eye. When they went over to look it was shuriken and kunai that were on display for the ninja in the village. They went inside to look around and had started lecturing about what they were for, ninjas and things like that. At first he was spell bound, then he got really bored. On of the things that will bore a kid the fastest is a lecture, and not even all the cool 'ninja stuff' could help hold his attention. He wandered around while they talked to the store manager about getting training gear for Naruto, right then he saw something that he really wanted: candy. Right across the road was a candy store and what kid doesn't like candy. Before leaving the orphanage Yuhari had given him some money. Saying she would let him get something while they were out. This is how we find Naruto being yelled at for asking the show owner how much for the candy he wanted to buy.

"But I just want to buy this sir; I even have some money for it."

The man sneered, "You probably stole it to, little monster. I'll teach you to steal from people."

Almost in tears Naruto replied, "No I didn't it was given to me."

"No one would give you anything worth while you freak. Now I have to teach you not to lie as well"

While this was happening the people in the area were watching what was going on, many, with sick pleasure, a few with clear displeasure but afraid to do anything about it. As the man took Naruto's money away and shoved him onto the floor, he was getting scared. What the man was doing reminded him of what the mean old lady who used to run the orphanage did before she let. Sarutobi had replaced her with someone more tolerant of Naruto's condition after discovering that she had tried to poison him and had been starving and beating him near daily.

The man then kicked the boy in the gut causing him to cry out in pain. He was about to hit him with a fist when his hand was caught by a woman with long blonde hair.

"What, may I ask, is going on here," Yuhari asked in a voice that let people know it wasn't a question but a demand. She had noticed after a short time that Naruto was no longer in the store and was about to go look for him when she heard the commotion across the street.

The man looked at her in shock wondering why she stopped him, "I was about to teach this little bastard a lesson. He came in here to buy something with money I know he stole, because I know no one would give him any, and lied and said he had it given to him."

"Wrong answer," and with that she let go of his arm and kicked him across the room. She then walked over to him stepped on his back grabbed his arm once more and started twisting it causing him to scream in agony.

"I'm the one who gave him the money, scum," she then wrenched his arm out of socket causing him to nearly pass out from the pain. She then let go of him and kicked him away from her. She then pulled out a kunai grabbed him by the front of his shirt to get his attention and in the most menacing voice she said, "If I ever even hear about how you did something to this boy I will make what I just did look like a stubbed toe."

The man looked at her in wonder and sneered thinking that she was no one important, "And who the hell are you making threats."

She smiled in a way that could make blood run cold, "I am Yuhari Yamanaka, and this boy is under my clan's protection."

"Yuhari that is enough. Do not injure the man any further, you want him to be in the best of health when he visits Ibiki Don't you?" As this was going on the third had come to see what was happening and let the events proceed until he decided to step in.

"Of course, Lord Hokage. I wouldn't want to deny the head of the torture and interrogation his fun." At the thought of meeting Ibiki, who was rumored to be one of the biggest sadists in the village, the man despaired.

"But, Lord Hokage, that thing is a monster, why would you protect it?" He was truly puzzled as to why the Hokage would protect a monster.

Yuhari looked at her leader. He motioned for her to take Naruto and leave. When the boy was gone he looked right at the man, his eyes filled with a sadness that was one of complete despair. "It's because the boy is not a monster. He is a child that has been given a burden that he doesn't even know about. A burden that was given to him without his knowledge or consent. A burden that will be with him to the day that he dies because he can never get rid of." The third looked at the man and saw something in the man's eyes. When he saw this he asked the man, "Tell me…"

"Shinji."

"Tell me, Shinji, do you have children," a nod, "What would you do if it was one of your children that the Fourth had sealed the beast into? Would you try to protect them or would you call them a monster like you do that boy." When the Third said this it stunned Shinji to the core and not just him but several people that had been watching the proceedings with glee. Needless to say it left them all with food for thought.

When the third saw this he was glad. It seemed that more than one person would now see Naruto in a more favorable light. After having Shinji take into custody for the time being he sighed. What had started out as a fairly pleasant day had turned into a disaster. Naruto was hurt and afraid, there had been a commotion in the market, and a man had been arrested. _'And more likely than not this will all end up on my desk as more paper work for me to sign.'_ He cursed at the increase in the dreaded paperwork, the only enemy that he had never truly defeated. The Fourth had done it somehow but at the time he hadn't cared because he thought he would be retired for good and didn't ask. _'Damn you Minato, couldn't you have told me that before you sealed the beast away? It would have saved me a lot of time otherwise spent pleasantly.'_

--

Yuhari was carrying a crying boy in her arms trying to comfort him. "Shhhh, Naruto don't cry. It's okay now. You're with me and I won't let anything happen to you."

He looked up at her sadly, tears in his eyes, "But why? Why are people so mean to me? I didn't do anything bad but they all look at me with those scary eyes and do mean things to me. Did I do something wrong? Am I really a monster," Yuhari could almost see the despair coming off the boy it was so thick. Like a miasma of defeat and hopelessness.

She knelt down, put her hands gently on the sides of his face, and looked him in the eye with nothing but love and kindness in them, "Naruto, don't believe what they say. You are not a monster of any kind. You are one of the sweetest, kindest, and most caring boys that I have ever seen," she stroked his face softly getting him to smile a very watery but truly happy smile, "and those people they are all hurting. They're all sad, afraid, and angry, and, unfortunately, you remind them of what it is that makes them feel that way. So don't be mad at them they are just hurting inside and need time to heal. Enough of that though. How about we go get you some ramen?"

At the word ramen Naruto perked up and nodded happily, always ready to gorge on ramen any chance he got.

--

When she got home later in the day Yuhari was in a much better mood than she had been after the incident with Naruto. They had had a very nice time at Naruto's favorite ramen stand, eating and listening to how Naruto said he was going become to be an awesome ninja when he grew up and how he would then become the Hokage. They then walked around enjoying themselves before taking him back to the orphanage. Sarutobi showed up briefly to say that he had to go back to his office and say bye to Naruto. When she walked into the kitchen she saw her husband sitting at the table, slowly sipping sake and staring at the wall, deep in thought. She knew that this was a bad sign. If he was thinking that deeply and drinking so early in the evening he was troubled by something and it was occupying all of his attention.

"Inoichi, tell me what's wrong. You never drink before dinner unless something is really bothering you."

Inoichi looked at his wife more worried than she could remember him looking, "A couple of hours ago, I was meditating in our room when Ino came running in crying. When I got her to talk to me I asked her what was wrong. She told me she didn't know but she said that her tummy hurt, she was really sad and couldn't stop crying. I wouldn't have thought it was anything serious except that I saw that her eyes had changed again. They were purple so I knew something was wrong with Naruto. I took a look into her mind to see if I could help, but I couldn't do anything to help her. Eventually she stopped crying and said she felt better, but she wanted me to hold her. After a half-hour she fell asleep so I put her to bed, but Yuhari, I never felt so helpless before. My little girl was hurting badly and I couldn't do anything about it. Every time she was hurting before whether she was just sad or really hurt in some way I could help her, but this time I was powerless. I had to sit and hold her while she was in pain. I don't know if you can imagine but I don't think I can handle that happening again."

Yuhari thought back to when she was comforting Naruto. She remembered that his eyes had changed as well, but it hadn't registered at the time, she was more focused on the fact that the boy was upset than that his eyes had changed.

"Inoichi, I know exactly how you felt with Ino because I felt that way with Naruto. I have never seen someone so depressed except after the Fox's attack, and Naruto's just a little boy. Earlier Naruto was attacked when the Hokage and I took him out today. He slipped away from us and went to buy some candy at a store across the street. Before I could get to him a man had decided to 'teach him a lesson'. He must have been sharing his hurt with Ino because he was much calmer than you would think he would be; even for someone that has been hurt like he has he was so calm even while in tears. You would expect him to just cry his head off like Ino was."

When Inoichi heard this he was livid. Just the thought of a child being hurt like Naruto had been was enough to make him want to kill. He couldn't understand how anyone could take any kind of joy in causing children pain. As he thought on what his wife told him he came to a conclusion.

"Yuhari, we need to adopt Naruto."

"Inoichi, I would love to but we agreed not to after the first time they were together after the sealing. We didn't want to take the chance that something bad would happen."

"Well it seems that something worse will happen if we don't. If we don't and something happens to make Naruto suicidal imagine what will happen to Ino. She may very well decide to take her own life if something sets her off. If one of them gets hurt on a mission if and when they become ninja it could get them both killed, and we know already that if one of them dies than the bond they share will cause the other to die as well. I don't think that either one of us could deal with the pain that would come from us losing Ino or Naruto because of a decision that we made. But if we take him in we can help them deal with what would happen if that happens on a mission or just to deal with the emotions that they would share in general. We can also keep him safe from the hate of the villagers. If anything else happens we deal with it as it comes."

Yuhari was in tears. The mere thought of losing her baby girl or the boy she considered as much her son as the son of her deceased friends, or maybe even both, because of something that she did was enough to send her into hysterics. If that happened, she thought she might just end it all to get away from the pain and quilt. "A-alright let-lets go see the Hokage about adopting Naruto."

No more than an hour later the Yamanakas were heading to the orphanage to get Naruto. They had talked to the Hokage long and hard about adopting the boy. He had been there when they agreed to keep the two apart and had thought it a wise decision. He had tried to persuade them to change their minds but when they had talked about the pain possibly losing the two caused he felt like his heart was being slowly picked apart. It reminded him all to vividly of Jiraya's pain at Orochimaru's defection, Tsunade's when she'd lost her loved ones, and all the others that he knew and had died over the years sometimes on his orders. He didn't know it but his pain had plainly shown on his face when he thought of this. Because of this when got up and went to stare out the window the Yamanakas didn't say anything. After a time he told them in a voice that was full of more pain and sadness than one person should have. He told them he would get the paperwork done and that they could get Naruto now if they wanted.

As Yuhari ran to get her son she thought, _'Soon Naruto, you'll have a mother, father, sister that love you more than the world. Just wait a little longer."_

--  
Authors Notes: Well here's the third part of my story. its a bit longer then the other two were but that's mostly because more is going on. just so you know the later chapters will be longer and longer as the story progresses. now to ansewer some of my reveiws that i have forgoten to ansewer. For one thing the main pair that will be seen in this is Naruto x ino. second the fox may or may not be female but even if it is their will be zero romance. next thing this may or may not be a harem because of the whole son of the hokage restore clan crap. if it turns out that way ino will be his main squeeze first then if l do make it a harem fic the other girls will come later. any way if you want tell me and with who. i'll even pair him with girls that die. so review and tell me what you think. last thing thanks to all who gave such positive and helpful reviews. All advice is appreciated.

Anywho Read and Review all reveiws welcome flames from people who just want to be rude well this is for you **"Don't make me destroy you."** -_Quote of Darth Vader From Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back_


	4. Chapter 3: The Orphanage

The Second Seal

**The Second Seal**

**By Rorac the Dragon Knight**

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Jutsu or demon speaking"**

Chapter 3: The Orphanage

When the Fox attacked it destroyed many lives. The most permanently affected were the children. Many children lost their parents and became orphans overnight. Most became orphans because their parents were ninja of the village. They fought a battle to delay the Fox so the Fourth could defeat the beast. They gave their lives willingly so that many more could live. Others lost their folks when the Fox caused an evacuation tunnel to collapse.

Those that came from major clans and many of those whose parents had ninja training were taken in, but those who could not be identified, had no family left, or were not of 'desirable' heritage were either left to fend for themselves having only a stipend from the council to live on, or if they were to young for that they were sent to the orphanage. Because of this the number went up from four very small ones to six rather large orphanages in only a year.

One boy lost more than just his family that night. He lost every chance for a normal life.

For how normal can a person be when they have a demon sealed inside of them?

Naruto was not sent to the orphanage right away. For the first two years of his life he was taken care of by ANBU that trusted the seal the fourth used without any reservations. It was only at this time that the village council was finally able to get him out of the protection that the Third had set over him and have him sent to an orphanage. When this happened the plan that had been made to destroy the boy only partially succeeded. For the next year Naruto was beaten, starved, poisoned, and abused more times than most people would want to think about.

The woman that ran the orphanage when Naruto came to live, there hated the fox. Her name was Haruka and she knew that the fox was only sealed inside of the boy but she didn't care. She had been a single mother when the fox attacked. She had three children by her late husband who had died on a mission for the village. She was at his grave site across town visiting him when the fox attacked. Her house and a few others were one of the first to be destroyed and she lost all of her children that night. When they adults were told about the sealing she knew that the fourth had sealed the beast away for good but she was not satisfied. She wanted to destroy it like it had destroyed her family.

She knew she had to get rid of the fox but she didn't want to hurt Naruto more than she had to. At first she tried to poison him so that he could die a painless death. One night she slipped arsenic into Naruto's food. All that happened was that he got laid up in bed for a week. Haruka tried for two months to poison him but failed. Then she tried to starve him but he seemed to be able to survive with just the smallest morsel. After this she was getting desperate every thing that she tried failed completely. Exposure, neglect, she even resorted to having him beaten but nothing seemed to work. At this time she was starting to lose it. Every time Haruka looked at the boy she would see the mangled bodies of two sons and the daughter she lost that day. One day after she failed to get the boy killed she lost it she couldn't take seeing those she had lost every time she looked at the boy.

Naruto was lucky that Yuhari came to visit him at that time or he would have died. When she came in she saw the orphanage matron crying and as she tried to strangle the boy but failing. After Yuhari got her away from the boy she lay him down on the floor and was about to deal with Haruka but stopped when she heard the words that came from the distraught matron.

"Why, why wont the fox die, it gets to live on in him but my baby girl had to die. Why…. It's not right, it's not right," she said in a voice filled with depression and loss that that could cripple the hearts of many.

When Haruka was inevitable replaced she wasn't executed like most would have thought but she was sent to the Yamanakas to help her through the pain and sorrow. The woman, who replaced her, named Shina, was more accepting of the sealing but she wasn't completely sure if Naruto was dangerous or not. She had been leaning toward him just being a little boy, but the day he was attacked at the candy store helped her decide once and for all.

Now most of the children in the orphanage didn't have their own room. Naruto did for his own protection and so that his enemies on the council would not have a fit about the 'demon boy' being around other children. When Shina came into his room to check on him she found him sitting on his bed crying. This shocked her because she rarely saw him cry about anything. He never cried when he was picked on, when he was treated unfairly, hell he barely cried at all when he got hurt and he was only a little kid. What ever happened must have really hurt him in some way for him to cry so openly and in such amounts.

Naruto looked up at her teary eyed' "Do you hate me now too?"

"Wha-what," she was shocked that he would ask her such a question.

In a quivering voice he asked, "The last time people hit me like that, the lady who use to be the boss started to hate me and after a while she, she put her hands around my neck and hurt me until the blonde lady made stop. I, I just wanna know if you're gonna hate me too."

Shina was completely thrown off center by this. Here was a sweet kid who had never done anything remotely cruel or vindictive to anyone, asking her if she was going hate him and maybe hurt him. It was at that point that she decided that he would never willingly hurt someone, and also got rid of the small voice that told her he might be the fox in human form.

Shina gathered the small in front of her into her arms, "Shhh, Naruto its okay. I could never hate a sweet and caring boy like you. If I had a son I wish he would be just like you."

"But, people say that I'm a monster. You wouldn't want someone like me."

She gently pushed him out to arms length and looked at him straight in the eye. She then said in a caring, sincere, and almost motherly voice, "Don't listen to people who say that about you. They just don't see you like they should. I can see you being a lazcy bum, a loud mouth, or even a trouble maker but never a monster. . Always remember that you are just a boy no matter what people say okay."

Naruto lookeds at her happier than he'ds been most of the day. He nods then rushesd forward and gaveives her a bone crushing hug which she gladly returneds. He openly crieds on her shirt but this time they wereare tears of joy, not sadness. After he calms down he looks at her with a smile that is returned in full.

"Now, Naruto I want you to get ready for bed. Its starting to get late and I want you to get a good night's rest."

"But, I don't wanna go to bed right now I'm not tired."

Shina looked at him for a while trying to process what had happened. In the space of twenty minutes the boy in front of her had gone from depressed tears to joyful sobs, and then to a sulking pout that she had to admit was one of the cutest pouts that she had ever seen. At first she was confused at how a boy could make such a moode shift in such a short time. Then she snorted, started to giggle but tried to hold it in, and finally broke into a full out laugh that she thought would never stop.

For some unknown and inexplicable reason (sarcasm alert) this made a certain blonde midget more than a little upset that she was laughing at him, apparently, at him of all things.

"Hey, what are you laughing at lady? I meant it when I said that and now your laughing at me like it was some sorta joke."

"I'm sorry, it's just that it was so cute, and so funny when you started to pout like that. I couldn't help it, it just slipped out. And don't call me lady my name is Shina I'll have you know."

"Well, SHINA, it was not funny what I did, and I'm not cute at all. I'm scary, and tough, and, and stuff."

She giggled, "And stuff."

He growled, "IT'S NOT FUNNY."

Shina reached out and grabbed Naruto's cheeks like an aunt that hasn't seen you in a looooong time, "Ah, little Naruto is so adorable when he tries to act all tough, scary, and," she giggled, " (giggling) stuff."

For the next fifteen minutes Naruto tried to show that he was tough, scary, and _**stuff. **_This only succeeded in making Shina laugh and caused more teasing,. making Naruto was all the more determined to show her he was, well you know a ninja in the making.

Eventually Shina got herself under control and decided that she had teased the poor boy enough for the moment, "Alright, Naruto, if you get ready for bed and are if you are in bed waiting when I get back I'll ready you a story."

In an instant there was silence. At the mere mention of a story, Shina had his complete and undivided attention.

But what three year old doesn't like to be told stories.

Naruto was wide eyed, "You really mean it?"

She smiled, "Yes I mean it. If you're ready for bed and waiting when I get back I promise I'll read to you. I'll even let you pick a story that you want to hear."

With those words Naruto went as fast as he could to start getting ready.

"And don't skip brushing your teeth or no deal."

'_Shoot, I thought she'd miss that.'_ "Fine I'll do that too," then he was off again getting ready.

Shina laughed as she walked back to her room/office. _'That boy is always fun to have around. He just seems to make the room a little brighter.'_

When she got back to her room she put on her nightwear, and sat down to do some of the evil paperwork that seemed to breed when she wasn't lookingkeeps the place running. _'I hate this. I'm just glad that I'm not the Hokage and don't have to go through the mountains of work he does.'_

Shortly there after having only finished a small amount of her work she heard the buzzer that told her she had visitors.

This confused her greatly, _'Who would be coming here at this hour? Visiting hours were finished hours ago.'_

Sighing in frustration she got up to see who was calling just as all the children were getting into bed. When she got to the door she was surprised to see the Yamanaka clan heads at the door. After letting them in she got right down to business.

"So what brings the two of you here at this time of night? The children have just started getting to bed, and I told little Naruto I would read him a story."

Inoichi and Yuhari looked at each other then Yuhari spoke up, "Actually this is about Naruto."

Knowing that the two blonds were the boy's greatest supporters Shina was curious what they wanted, "What about Naruto, is something wrong?"

Inoichi shook his head, "No, something is right actually. We want to adopt Naruto and we're here to take him home with us."

Shina was shocked, but in a good way. She had thought that Naruto would be stuck in the orphanage until he was old enough to take care of himself. No that she would have minded but she didn't think any parents would be able to get over the prejudices that surrounded the boy. After thinking for a moment she was sad that Naruto would be leaving her so soon but was happy that some one would be willing to take him in and raise him as their own.

"I'm can't tell you how glad I am that you want to take Naruto home with you. The only problem is that I cant let you take him after visiting hours and that he hasn't decided he wants to go with you."

Yuhari pulled out a scroll and gave it t Shina. After opening it and reading what it said she couldn't believe what it was that she was seeing and had to read it over again.

**I, Sauske Sarutobi, d****o decree that on this night that if it is agreeable to one Naruto Uzimaki, than he shall be adopted and taken into the care of one Inoichi and Yuhari Yamanaka. He shall be there after be known as Naruto Yamanaka and be considered a son of the Yamanaka Clan.**

**Signed: Sauske Sarutobi, Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves**

The letter she was reading was signed, dated, and stamped with the Hokages seal meaning it was as official as it could get. When she sawSeeing this she started to tear up a little, knowing that she may no longer be able to see her favorite blond everyday.

Shina took the couple to Naruto's room and let them in to see him.

Naruto had just finished getting ready for bed and was waiting for Shina to return and tell him the story he was promised. When he heard the door open he expected to see Shina, but instead he saw the nice blonde lady and some blond guy.

"Hi Blondie, whatcha doing here, who's that guy next to you, and were did Shina go she promised me a story?"

Yuhari smiled, . She was glad that Naruto was so vibrant even at this late hour because it gave her strength do what she came here to do.

"Naruto, I wish you'd call me by my name, Yuhari, and not Blondie. Anyway this man next to me is my husband Inoichi."

Inoichi smiled and waved at Naruto, "Hey, how are ya?"

Naruto smiled and waved back relieved. Since this guy was married to Yuhari he had to be a nice guy.

Seeing that things were going well, Yuhari decided to ask the question she came to ask, "Naruto, how would you like to come and stay with us?"

Naruto, being well, Naruto missed the point of the question, "Cool, I'd love to visit for a while I've never been to your place before."

Yuhari sighed and Inoichi laughed both seeing Naruto act just like his father, that being completely clueless.

"No, Naruto I don't mean visit I mean permanently."

Naruto came up with a genius answer, "Huh?"

Yuhari put her head down and sighed, _'He's just like his father, completely and utterly clueless.'_

Inoichi decided that he had better step in and use small easy to understand words. Words that even a clueless idiot could understand, "Naruto, let me to put it in words you can understand., Wwe want to adopt you and make you our son."

For just a second Naruto didn't have anything to say. No one had ever wanted to adopt him before so he thought it wouldn't happen at all. Then to have one of hHis favorite people wanting to adopt him was a dream come true. He jumped out of bed and into Yuhari's arms glad that someone wanted to take him home and give him a family.

Shina who was watching from the doorway was happy for Naruto, but at the same time sad that she wouldn't see the little ray of sunshine as often. In the end she focused on being happy for him so that he wouldn't get upset.

After his few cloths, toys, and other things had been packed up it was time for the Yamanakas to leave. As they were about to leave they were stopped by Shina who wanted to say goodbye.

She scooped him into her arms for what could be one of the last times in the near future, "Naruto, I'm going miss you so much. With you getting adopted I wont get to see you as much," with that said tears started to flow.

Naruto wiped her tears away, "Don't be sad auntie Shina I'll come visit some time. Besides I didn't get the story you promised so you know I'll see you again."

Shina laughed. She was happy he considered her family and knew he would see her again. She gave him one last hug and sent him on his way.

Yuhari was on cloud nine while holding Naruto in her arms. The boy who she had always considered her son really was her son now. She didn't think she could be any happier at the moment.

Naruto looked at Inoichi who was walking behind Yuhari. Noticing that Yuhari was in her own little world at the moment he decided to ask Inoichi a question, "So now that I'm adopted you guys are mom and dad right."

Inoichi smiled, "Yep. But you can still call us by name if you want"

"Okay, but what's it like at your house?"

"Well, we live in a clan, a small one, but still a clan so that means that you'll have aunts and uncles and cousins. We have a nice house, a shop were we sell flowers and other plants, and you now have a sister."

"REALLY," Naruto was exited. He had always wanted a brother or sister and now he had one.

"Yep, her names Ino, and she's about your age."

"When do I get to meet her?"

"Tomorrow, she's in bed right now and that's were you're going as soon we get home."

"Okay," Naruto suddenly found that he was really tired. He laid his head down on Yuhari's shoulder and went to sleep happy that he now had a family.

Inoichi looked at Naruto and smiled, _'I always wanted a boy but I wouldn't ever want to replace Ino. Now I have both of them.'_

As they put Naruto to bed they couldn't help but think how happy he and Ino would be together. Looking at him they couldn't help but thought think that Naruto would fit in just fine.

--

Thank you for being so patient with me. I have been having computer trouble and couldn't upload. Any way l'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as i can. in this i was focusing on what Naruto's life was like before so that the change that is taking place could be seen. Ive made a decicion about the pairings and Naruto will only had at most two girl because when i thought about it one of my reviewers was right and harem is too hard to write. any way read and reveiw. all advice welcome and all flames ignored


	5. Chapter 4 the Yamanakas part 1

The Second Seal

**The Second Seal**

**By Rorac the Dragon Knight**

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Jutsu or demon speaking"**

Chapter 4: The Yamanakas Part One

If someone was to be asked what the first thing that came to mind when the thought of the leaf village you would get a number of responses. If you asked a rock ninja it would be the hatred they felt for the "tree huggers," or the lingering fear of caused by the Fourth Hokage. If you asked a sand ninja it would be the fact that they had so much wealth and useable land and how it made them "soft." If you asked a mist ninja, a cloud ninja, or a ninja from any of the smaller villages you would it would be the jealousy, fear, or, in the case of the mist, disgust of the many clans and the bloodline abilities that they each had.

You would hear ninja talk the Aburamae with their 'gross bugs' that lived inside them and devoured chakra. No one talked about how strong they are because they are to busy being disgusted by the bugs. After that you would probably hear about the Inuzuka and their dogs. Now the ones that talk about them the most are the woman and kunochi that got pissed at the Inuzuka men for being overly aggressive and perverted.

Most often though you would hear talk of the Uchiha and the Hyuga. Both are known for their strength and the power of their eyes. The Hyuga with their gentle fist fighting style and all seeing Byakugan eye made them near impossible to ambush and deadly at close range. A rigidly traditional clan they felt no need for innovation and change was almost considered heresy.

Then there were the Uchiha. Known and hated for their copy wheel eyes, the Sharingan. Able to see through genjutsu, copy ninjutsu at a glance, and allow them to counter nearly any taijutsu style that they saw. This clan valued their eyes even more than the Hyuga. Arrogant and condescending, they felt their eyes made them better than everyone else and they lusted for power.

The last three most prominent clans, the Yamanakas, the Nara, and the Akamichi, are known to be at their best when they worked together. It could be said that these three clans were the greatest and most prominent example of the will of fire and the idea that the village was family. A member of any one of these clans would protect someone from one of the other two without a thought. The three clans also have their lands very close to each other. This had helped to foster the unity that had developed between them. Because of this, Inoichi and Yuhari's return home with Naruto did not go unnoticed.

Suki Nara was a lot like the rest of her clan except for a couple of things. One, she loved to watch the stars at night not the clouds during the day. Two, she was a bit more active than the rest of her clan, lacking the Nara's apathy. She was actually semi willing to get off her butt and help other people out. Three, she didn't consider much of anything troublesome. In fact one of the things that would get her up, and looking hyper, for a Nara, was anything that was small, cute or just plain adorable.

Suki had been walking home after an enjoyable evening of stargazing, content with the world. That's when she saw the Yamanaka clan head going toward their home.

Suki smiled at the two of them, "Hello Inoichi, Yuhari. What has you two out at this time of night? You're usually home by now."

The blonds smiled at seeing Suki. While they got on very well with the rest of her clan, Inoichi actually had her clan head as a drinking buddy, they both thought of her as a pleasant variation of the typical Nara.

Yuhari was hesitant about how she should answer her question. Even though her clan head had given Naruto the clan's protection, a few of the others in the clan did not agree with his decision. Inoichi, however, had no problem saying what he had been doing.

"We were just dealing with a bit of family business that came up. We decided to take this little guy into our home."

It was then that Suki noticed Naruto was fast asleep in Yuhari's arms.

It was at this point that something amazing happened. A Nara moved quickly without the treat of grievous bodily harm. This in itself was remarkable, but what made it all the more amazing was the speed at which she moved. It took all of half a second for Suki to identify who and what the boy was, and then a thousandth of a second for her to appear in front of Yuhari with Naruto in her arms hugging him tightly but at the same time with the utmost care as to not wake him.

"Oooooooooohhh, he's so adorable. I just want hold him never let him go," Suki cooed as she held the sleeping boy in her arms. Her love of all that is cute had taken over. Anyone looking at her this moment could swear that they saw little hearts filling the air and feel an aura of sappy mush fill the air.

After they recovered from the amazing Nara moment, Inoichi and Yuhari reacted differently to Suki's "cute aura."

Yuhari smacked her head and groaned, _"I can't believe her. She sees one cute thing and turns into a raving maniac."_

Inoichi, on the other hand, had lost control and was rolling around on the ground laughing his ass off, _"Oh, this is too much. This is almost as funny as the rabbit incident."_

The incident in question happened when Suki was twelve. She had seen a bunch of rabbits in a pet store and disappeared from her parents' side. All animals fear her when she goes into cute mode including Inuzuka ninken who would savagely attack enemy ninja, would run fearlessly through fire and flood for their human partners. Having opened the rabbit' cage to get to one 'ultra cute' rabbit all the others made an escape to avoid having the life squeezed out of them. This was repeated with all the animals in the store. As her parents tried to catch her, the animals tried to get away from her and the owner tried to catch the animals, chaos ensued. Her folks would lose sight of her for a half a second and she would 'appear' in a different part of the store squeezing the life out of a new victim. Inoichi had been nearby and had gone to see what the commotion was, and witnessed one of the funniest sights he would ever see.

Hearing Inoichi laugh, Suki turned bright red, embarrassed to be, once again, causing a scene.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself. He's the most adorable little boy I've ever seen."

Yuhari sigh and kicked her husband to relieve Suki of some of her embarrassment, "It's all right Suki I should have expected it. But, your right, Naruto is an adorable little boy. He's also one of the kindest most charming young men I've ever seen."

Suki nodded remembering a time she had see Naruto give some food he had managed to swipe to some hungry strays. Most boys his age would have ignored them and went on eating. She had had to fight hard not to jump down and squeeze him to death watching him so something so sweet.

Inoichi, who had finally got his mirth under control, smile while rubbing his side where his wife kicked him, "True as that may be, we have to get him home. He has a big day tomorrow what with meeting his new relatives and all."

Suki sighed nodding in agreement. Reluctantly she gave Naruto back to Yuhari nearly squealing when he cuddled up to his new mother just loving how cute it was.

When the couple finally got home they decided to put Naruto in bed with Ino seeing as they had nowhere else to put him in their small house. As soon as he was under the covers Naruto pulled Ino close to him and sighed, seeming content. Ino snuggled ever closer to him seeming to sense his presence and seeking to be as close to him as she could.

Inoichi and Yuhari were mildly surprised by this but shrugged it off, seeing it as a good sign.

Yuhari sighed and embraced her husband, "Those two seem so happy to be back together after all this time. I hope we did the right thing."

Inoichi murmured agreement holding the love of his life tightly, "All we can do at this point is watch, hope, and guide them as best we can. Only time will tell what's in store for them."

With that the two of them left to prepare for bed. Had they stayed a moment longer they would have seen the pale glow that surrounded the two children for a minute or two before disappearing, leaving them to dream the dreams only children can.

Author's Notes: Well i finally got off my ass and got another chapter up and ready to go. I know its kinda short but it's one of those chapters that's really important and i couldn't think of anything else to write with out it looking like i was just writing to write or you could say talking just to hear myself speak. any who read and review criticism is fine as long as it's helpful same with advice as long as you aren't telling me how to write MY STORY.(cut) and any one who don't like it can get off there whine asses form a line behind me and kiss my...We're still on, WELL TURN IT OFF YOU MORON.(yells at idiot crew chief)


	6. Chapter 5: The Yamanakas part 2

**The Second Seal**

**By Rorac the Dragon Knight**

"Speaking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Jutsu or demon speaking"**

Last time:

_**Yuhari sighed and embraced her husband, "Those two seem so happy to be back together after all this time. I hope we did the right thing."**_

_**Inoichi murmured agreement holding the love of his life tightly, "All we can do at this point is watch, hope, and guide them as best we can. Only time will tell what's in store for them."**_

_**With that the two of them left to prepare for bed. Had they stayed a moment longer they would have seen the pale glow that surrounded the two children for a minute or two before disappearing, leaving them to dream the dreams only children can.**_

Chapter 5: The new day

Waking up in a new place can some times be frightening. Not being fully aware when you first get up and realizing that this is not were you have woken up so many times before can make you want to panic before you remember what lead to falling asleep in this new environment.

As Naruto began to wake up after his first night in the Yamanaka household, he realized three things: he was not in the bed or room he was used to sleeping in, the bed that he was in had another occupant, and last but most frightening of all, to him, said person was holding onto him and he had no idea who it was. Now Naruto would have done what any one else would have done, namely screamed and made a big commotion, if he had not first opened his eyes and looked at who was holding him. What he saw was pretty girl around his age with hair almost the same color as his own. She was lying there holding on to him gently with a smile on her face.

'_She looks a lot like Yuhari,'_ was the first thought that popped into his head after looking at her for a short time. With that thought he calmed down enough to jump start his memory of what had happened the day before. The trip around town, the man in the shop, Yuhari and her husband coming in to see him when he was getting ready for bed, and the joy, the overwhelming joy he felt when the Yamanaka's said that the wanted him enough to come and get him so they could take him home.

'_They want me, they really want me.'_

Having been told by many people that he was a monster and that no one would ever want him had almost got him believing it. He pulled Ino closer to him and started to cry, happy that he had a family and that they actually wanted him. The motion and the sniffling he was doing was enough to pull Ino slowly out of her sleep.

Ino Yamanaka woke up slowly and, for some reason, a lot happier to be woken then she would normally have been. Yes folks, it's true: Ino is not a morning person. Normally she would wake up decide she liked being in her bed too much, pull her blanket tighter around her, and doze until her parents decided it was time to get up. She would then proceed to pout cutely, and slowly get up and get ready to face the day.

Realizing that some one was in her bed and was crying on her she was instantly wide awake. Now Ino was in not on her way to a panic attack, she was more wondering what was going on. She gently pushed whoever was holding onto her and sat up in bed as did the other person. She tilted her head to the side and looked at the person next to her. She saw a boy with bright yellow hair, _'like a sunflower,' _and what looked like whiskers on his face rubbing the last of the tears out of his eyes. When he was done he opened his eyes all the way she saw that he had, according to one Ino Yamanaka, the prettiest deep blue eye's she had ever seen before.

"Why were you crying? Are you sad?" was the first was the first question out of her mouth after she gave the boy a once over. A little bit of a blunt question but what do you expect from a three year old?

Naruto stopped and looked at her for a second before a big smile appeared on his face and he shook his head, "No, I'm happy."

Ino was curious, "About what?"

"Well, because lots of people told me that no one would want me because I was a monster. I'm happy because it not true."

Ino saw that thinking about those things seemed to make him sad because his smile was less happy than it was before. Seeing him sad for some reason made her really sad as well. Not liking the gloom that had settled on them she decided to fix the problem the only way she knew how. She reached over to him and pulled him into a hug like her daddy did when she was sad or upset. When she let go of him they smiled at each other.

"Well, I don't think you're a monster, you're too nice and monsters are mean,"

"…….thank you"

You're welcome. Now let's go wake up my mom and dad so they can make breakfast."

Naruto decided he liked the sound of that and followed her to her parent's room.

Inoichi had been a Jounin before he left active duty. Highly skilled and alert at all times, including the time he was asleep. So it came as no surprise that when his two children entered his bedroom he was instantly awake.

He listened for a moment then smiled, _"It looks like those two are up. I guess that they're fine with each other, considering the lack of ruckus."_

He quickly and quietly woke his wife without letting the kids know.

"Play along let them think they surprised us," he whispered in her ear. She squeezed his hand, letting him know she agreed.

Ino lead Naruto into her parent's room, each of them going to wake up one of the people in the bed. Ino immediately pounced on her father, giggling, only to have him catch her and start laughing with her. Naruto, on the other hand, went over to Yuhari and almost timidly shook her and called her name. Noticing this and wanting to reassure him, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. She then pulled him into a hug and told him good morning. Glad that he wasn't in trouble he returned the hug and greeting warmly.

"You must want breakfast, right?" Yuhari asked. She was answered with a loud affirmative from Ino and a grin and nod from Naruto. "Okay than let's get to it."

.

After the meal Yuhari and Inoichi sat back and watched the two children interact with each other. During breakfast they had explained to the kids that they had become Naruto's guardians and that he would be living with them from now. At first Naruto had been somewhat sad that they hadn't adopted him.

_**Flashback**_

"But, I thought you adopted me. Don't you want me?"

Yuhari immediately came around the table and pulled him into a hug trying to calm him down.

"No, that's not it at all," she said soothingly "it's just that you are need to keep your last name. Your mother and father were the last of their clan's and you will need to take up their clan name when you're older."

Naruto was surprised. He had no idea that anyone knew who his parent's were.

"You know who my mom and dad were?"

Yuhari smiled sadly at him, "Yes, I do but I can't tell you right now. But, I promise I will one day, okay?"

"You promise?"

"I promise, no matter what."

_**Flashback End**_

Afterwards breakfast had gone smoothly except for Inoichi and Naruto getting into a stare down over the last serving of rice. It went on for fifteen minutes and would have gone on longer if Ino hadn't finished what she had and taken it. Inoichi sighed and looked away knowing Ino wouldn't give it up. Naruto, in his ignorance decided to try and was failing miserably. In desperation he to pull out a man's last resort, shameless begging. Ino looked at him with his eye's all big and teary, looking so pitiful. She did the only thing she could.

She laughed at him and reached over pinched him on the cheeks telling how cute he looked just like her aunt liked to do to her.

He pouted at her.

She giggled and gave him what was left of the rice. Her parent's were surprised. Ino wasn't greedy when it came to food, but she always ate all she took.

After Naruto finished Ino grabbed his hand and started to show him around the house, never letting go of his hand the whole time. After showing him the various rooms she decided to show hem her favorite story book.

"This is about the princess ninja. On this page it shows what the castle she lives in looks like, and this one shows her fighting the evil ninja army with her ninja bunnies, and this one shows were she first meets the ninja bunnies with her prince, and this shows them getting married. Oh! This one shows how she meets the prince!!

Yuhari and Inoichi thought that it was very odd. Not the fact that it was a fairy tale for little girls and that he stayed and listened to it or the fact that he did so with out any of the reactions you would expect from a boy his age. What they found odd was that as Ino talked Naruto was the one turning the pages like he knew exactly were to go. What made it all the stranger was that when Naruto let go Ino's hand to scratch his head Ino started turning the pages as if she had been turning the whole time. When they joined hands again Naruto started to turn the pages and not skipping a beat and unaware that anything had just happened.

Inoichi looked at his wife, surprise and a slight bit of worry in his eyes. Yuhari looked at him and smiled while shaking her head unworried by what she had just seen. Inoichi nodded trusting his wife's judgment, though he was still slightly surprised that the two seemed so in sync with each other. Almost as if they were long lost twins.

_**Naruto's perspective**_

After finishing the book with Ino, Naruto had loads of thought running through his head. Like how different this was from the orphanage, that the house was really nice, that he was going to like living here from now on, but most of all he was happy that he would be spending a lot more time with Inoichi, Yuhari and, especially, with Ino. For some reason that he didn't understand, whenever he was with Ino things seemed so relaxed like the outside world couldn't get near him when he was home.

"_Home,"_ that thought in and of itself made things seem better. Like a man that was born blind and hearing about color all his life suddenly being able to see, or like a deaf man hearing beautiful music. It made him want to cry and jump for joy finally understanding what it was to have a real home to go to.

While he was having these thoughts Ino squeezed the hand that she was still holding. Naruto look and at her and she smiled at him.

"_She understands," _he thought in shock. Then he smiled, _"I like how that feels."_

_**Ino's perspective**_

"_He looks so sad some times. But, I like it when he smiles. He makes things so much brighter when he smiles."_

Ino didn't know what, but she could tell that something about Naruto was special. It might have been how he listened to what you say, how he was so happy all the time, the way he talked and acted, or if it was just every thing about him.

"_He's so nice I want to make him smile all the time."_ With that thought she made a big decision.

"Hey daddy, can I show him my garden?"

_**Normal perspective**_

Inoichi was stunned for what seemed like the thousandth time today. Ino had not only shared her breakfast with Naruto, which was big just by itself, but now she wanted to show the boy her garden. Her garden was were Ino grew anything she thought was special and wanted to take care of on her own, and didn't like to have her parents looking over her shoulder. Ever sense he set it up for her she would shoo him off if he tried to help. She liked to work on her own, and did very well. Inoichi was proud that his daughter seemed to inherit some of his skill in the garden. He was also impressed at the things she grew. Many of them very delicate and needing special care, and she never let him help or come near. Now she wanted to take a boy, though a real nice boy, she had just met and now she wanted to show him her garden up close. Inoichi couldn't help but let his mouth hang open.

Yuhari was stunned as well, but recovered faster, "You really want to show Naruto your garden?"

Ino nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah he's nice, and I think he would like to see it."

"That's a wonderful idea don't you think so Inoichi?"

Finally recovering from his shock Inoichi just nodded and smiled.

"_I wonder how many more surprises I'll get before the days over."_

While Ino ran Naruto around her garden the two elder Yamanaka hung back to discuss what they had seen and what they thought of these developments.

"Inoichi, are as surprised as I am at how well those two are taking the whole situation?"

Inoichi sighed looking somewhat overwhelmed by what had just occurred.

"If these two were normal I would be a lot more surprised than I am."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the two of them are displaying traits that the clan as a whole has been expecting to surface for year. Empathy, sympathetic sensations, and limited telepathic capabilities. Those two are the closest thing to true psychic talents or abilities that the clan has seen since it became a clan in the first place. Hell, all of our clan jutsu are based around mental abilities. I think that the sealing may have been the push that made what the clan has been searching for a reality"

Yuhari looked frightened, "But what happens when the rest of the clan finds out? Do you think they'll try to push the two of them into something they don't want for their own gain?"

Inoichi pulled his wife close holding her and reassuring her, "Don't worry about the rest of the clan. We don't have a bunch of worthless old fools getting in the way of how the clan should be run like Hiashi does. I'm the head of the clan and those two are my kids. I will decide what is best for my kids, not a bunch of idiots looking to gain something from a couple of children."

Hearing Inoichi's words, Yuhari couldn't help but smile and hold him that much closer. She had always thought of Naruto as her son in a way, and to hear her husband call him his made her heart soar.

"You're right about all of that. Well, except for one small thing."

Inoichi looked at his wife confused, "And what would that be?"

She smirked at him, "You won't be doing this alone. I'll be there and we'll do this together."

Inoichi chuckled, wondering what he did to deserve her.

Well I finally updated my story. sorry about the wait i got busy with work and other stuff. you know how it is. if you are wondering why ubi and naruto seem to mature well i blame being raise as ninja. after all ino is from a clan and what other real way is there for an orphan to make his way in the world when he lives ina NINJA VILLAGE. anyway i won't be updating to soon. i joined the military and will be heading off to boot camp before to long. that does not mean i am abandoning my writing or any of that crap. it just means you will have to wait a little if you want to read some more. any who read and review


	7. Chapter 7: The Naras

**The Second Seal**

**By Rorac the Dragon Knight**

Disclaimer: I don't own naruto now and will most likely never will….fuck

"speaking"

'_thinking'_

"**Jutsu or demon speaking"**

If a stranger were to look at a Nara and tell you what they saw you would get and answer along these lines: a lazy slacker that spends to much time laying around and not enough doing something productive. A ninja from another village would probably tell you they are sneaky bastards that really piss them off. Any one under there command would call them the laziest yet most reliable team leader they had ever had. A jounin with one on there team would call them hard to motivate, but a force to be reckoned with once they get going. The council would tell you they are some of the most frustrating irreverent people they had ever had to deal with. The Hokage would call them superb strategists and stanch allies. There friends would say they are the best people to go to if you want an honest, thought out answer to a question or some one to relax and chill with.

All of these answers are are...descriptive and accurate. Being a clan of shadow users all of which have above average to genius IQ, an unerring loyalty to there friends family and village, and a devious tactical mind you would think that they Nara would be more feared and respected. If it weren't for them all being lazy as a sloth and highly apathetic than they would.

A slight, but at the same time pleasant, deviation from the norm came in the form of one Suki Nara. While not all that energetic or out going she was different from most Nara in the fact that she could often be found walking around the village, slowly of course, and she lacked the apathy that seemed to describe the Nara as a whole. Another thing that made her different from the other Nara was the fact that she liked to watch the stars at night instead of the clouds during the day.

Her love of the stars and going for long walks had lead to her encounter with Inoichi and Yuhari as they were coming home with Naruto. After saying her goodbyes she began to wander back toward her home with a number of thoughts running through her head.

_'It's nice to see that poor boy finally being taken into a good home. God knows he deserves it.'_

Knowing exactly what it was that the boy carried within him didn't bother her in the least. She knew that the boy could never be the fox no matter what the idiots in the village thought.

_'I mean really how stupid can you get. Is it really that hard to notice that he's nothing like the fox. Can't they see the difference? Or do they just not care?_

It frustrated her to no end that the people in the village either couldn't or wouldn't see the boy for what he really was. Every time that she heard people call him a demon or fox and talk about how they wanted him to disappear or how it was wrong for him to live when 'he' had killed their loved ones made her want to run over and beat the ever loving shit out of them.

_'It's not like they're alone in that. Everyone lost some one that night. Hell, I lost my best friend, but do you see me trying to go kill a three year old? Fuck no!'_

While it frustrated her to no end how dumb people could be, she was glad that there were people that could see passed the pain and not use the boy like a scapegoat for their pain. The most prominent among them being the Hokage, the Nara, the Yamanaka, and the Akimichi.

_'For once I'm glad that brother is the clan head. If some one else had been there instead of him who knows what they would have decided.'_

Being the sister to the Nara clan head, Shikaku, she was able hear things that were going on in the village before just about anyone else. Though it was frustrating that her older brother had to be the one to tell her all the time. He still liked to hold information over her head even though they were no longer children

_'I swear, brother can be so... so..' _she frowned in distaste at her next thought, '_troublesome when he has information he knows I would want.'_

She couldn't help but smile at the fact that, for once, she knew something before he did, and how much fun it would be to watch him squirm trying to figure out what it was. This lead her to a thought that confused her. She knew that Yuhari and Inoichi had always supported Naruto but seemed content to do it from afar. So why would they, seemingly, out of the blue decided to take him into there home.

_'There has got to be a good reason for this. Those two wouldn't do this unless they had a damn good reason, but what is it?'_

She thought on it for a moment before shrugging and deciding she would just ask them herself.

_'After all, this just gives me another reason to stop by brother's place tomorrow. Knowing Inoichi, he'll go and let Shikaku and Chozu know what's up in that order._

Her plans for the next day set Suki made her way back home and to bed excited for what the day would bring.

Ino was excited. Why you ask. It was because her daddy was taking her and Naruto over to Shikamaru's house. Normally she wouldn't as glad to spend time at the lazy Nara's house. It's not that she didn't like Skikamaru, it was just the fact that he ticked her off way to much.

_'Why doesn't Shikamaru ever want to get off his lazy butt and do what I want him to do? Is it that hard to do the things I like when they're more fun than anything he wants to do.'_

The writer can't help but point out that even in the early stages of life Ino was a bossy little girl. Being more assertive and energetic than the Nara or Akamichi the Yamanakas were the ones that more often than not held the leadership position in the team. This simply translated into Ino being bossy and opinionated. It also made her think that she had to get the other two to do what she wanted and act how she thought they should because she was 'always right.' It also didn't help that he would call her troublesome and tell her to stop annoying him so that he could watch the clouds or finish his game of shogi or any of the other "boring" things that he liked to do.

_'At least Naruto listens to me when I want to do something. Even when he_ _doesn't want to he plays anyway.'_

It was true. That morning after she finished showing him her garden she took him up to her room and had him play dolls with her. It was painfully obvious that he was bored and wanted to do something else.

_'He was so nice too. He asked and said please when he wanted to do something else, and he's not boring like Shikamaru'_

Truly Ino thought that Naruto was greatest when it came to any one their age. One he was nice, two he wasn't boring, three he listened to her, this won him big points in her book, and four he was so exited about every thing and this made her exited just being around him. It was like he had an energy around him that went into everything he did.

_'This is gonna be so much fun. I bet Naruto can get Shikamaru off his lazy butt.'_

Naruto in contrast was not as excited. In fact he was as nervous as a little kid can get.

_'I hope that they're nice like Ino and her mom and dad.'_

Having not known many people that were willing to be nice to him it's understandable that he was nervous in meeting new people. Even as he was walking down the street he could feel the cold glares from the people around him. The only thing protecting him from worse was the company he was keeping.

Yuhari noticed the looks he was getting and decided it would be best to hurry. She gave Inoichi a look that he instantly understood. Picking up both kids, he put them on his shoulders and took off at speeds that made them squeal in amazement. Yuhari smiled and thanked all the gods above that she had such a wonderful loving husband. Having finished her short prayer she took off to catch up to the hyper blondes she loved so much.

When they arrived at the Nara home Inoichi let the children on his shoulders down. Ino turned around and started to scold him for surprising her, but couldn't stop smiling, making it clear that she enjoyed it.

Naruto was just as vocal but not for the same reason.

"That was so COOL. You pick us up and you were like ZOOM and then you jump really high an' it was like WOOSH and I was like WOW and, and, and CAN WE DO IT AGAIN?!?!?!?"

Inoichi laughed glad that the boy had had such a good time. Yuhari who had arrived shortly after just smiled, enjoying the picture of the family that she saw in front of her.

Hearing a chuckle they turned around to see Shikaku sitting in front of the door watching them.

"Well, you always had a way with the kids Inoichi, even if it was kind of troublesome."

Inoichi smiled, "Nice to see you think so highly of me you lazy bum."

The two shared a laugh enjoying the others company. Understanding each easily after years of working as teammates and being friends.

Deciding that now was the time Shikaku decided to speak up about the new face he saw.

"So who's the new blond kid with you?"

Feeling slightly nervous Yuhari decided to speak up, "This is Naruto. Inoichi and I have been watching him for a while and decided to take him into our family. He seems to fit right in, don't you think?"

Outwardly Shikaku only showed slight surprise, inwardly though he was cursing his sister for not telling him this. Truthfully he had nothing against the boy for what he held thinking being killed by a giant fox was extremely troublesome compared to taking care of a small child that held the beat at bay.

Especially when you took into accout the face that he was a nice and cheerful kid despite being, well, loud. Thinking about it though he couldn't help but curse his sister knowing she would play whole 'I knew it before you did' game as long as she could.

_'She's sooooo, annoying and troublesome, but she my sister so... whatever.'_

Shikaku smiled, "Well, he seems like a good kid. A little loud, but whatever. Lets head inside my sisters here to visit, and you know how she likes kids."

The elder Yamanakas smiled, relieved that Inoichi had no problem with Naruto. Ino and Naruto, though, raced in ready to have a good time unaware of the tension that had come and gone.

Inoichi sighed, relieved by Shikaku's acceptance of his new son. Glad that the trust he had in his friend wasn't misplaced.

_'I should never had doubted him, but it makes me feel better to hear him say it. Things seem to be looking up.'_

With that thought Inoichi entered after his wife and TWO children. Finally realizing that the thought of Naruto being his made him happy he smiled looking forward to what the future held.

* * *

An: new chapter read and review. new ones will come when i have time. advice welcome flamers cursed and then ignored. later


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